Kupus sa suvim mesom

Ingredients

Sauerkraut

• 1.5 kgsauerkraut
• from whole fermented heads if possible
• or shredded barrel sauerkraut

Meat

• 800 gsmoked pork ribs
• 300 gdried smoked meat
• suvo meso, in one piece
• 200 gsmoked bacon, optional

The pot

• 2onions, chopped
• 4garlic cloves, crushed
• 3 tablespoonsoil or lard
• 2 teaspoonssweet paprika
• 2bay leaves
• 1 tablespoonblack peppercorns
• 1dried chilli, optional
• water to cover

Sometimes added

• 4potatoes, quartered
• 1 tablespoonplain flour
• for a thicker pot

To serve

• bread
• or boiled potatoes
• raw onion
• rakija

Directions

1. Rinse the sauerkraut and taste it. It should be sour but not harsh. Rinse it again if it is very salty. But do not wash all the sourness out. Take the sauerkraut out of its brine. Squeeze the liquid out of it by hand. Rinse it under cold running water.
2. Taste a strand to judge the saltiness. Rinse it again if it is very salty. Squeeze it dry once more afterwards. Separate the leaves if using whole heads. Cut out any thick and tough ribs. Cut the leaves into wide strips. Rinse the smoked ribs in cold water. Cut them into individual bones. Rinse the dried meat off as well. Cover it in cold water for an hour.
3. Leave it whole rather than cutting it. A whole piece keeps its texture better. Cut pieces dry out and toughen. Heat the oil or lard in a large heavy pot. Add the chopped onions to the pot. Cook them for a good ten minutes. Let them soften and turn golden. Add the crushed garlic to them.
4. Cook it for a further full minute. Adding the paprika takes care. Take the pot off the heat entirely. Stir the paprika into the hot onions. Paprika burns within seconds in hot fat.
5. Return it to the heat straight afterwards. Add the ribs and the dried meat. Add the bacon if you are using it. Turn them through the onion base. Let them colour for a few minutes. Add the squeezed sauerkraut to the pot. Stir it through the meat and onions. Add the bay leaves and peppercorns. Add the dried chilli if you want heat. Add water to just cover everything. Do not drown it all in liquid.
6. Add hot water later if it dries out. Bring it up to a gentle simmer. Cover the pot and let it cook on. Give it at least three full hours. Stir it every half hour or so. Add hot water if it reduces too far. It should stay moist rather than dry. Add quartered potatoes after two hours. They soften during the last hour.
7. Mix a spoonful of flour with cold water. Stir that paste right into the pot. Let it cook for ten more minutes. Taste it before adding any salt. It will usually need none at all. Add black pepper to taste as well.
8. Taste first and salt only if needed. Take the pot right off the heat. Let it stand for twenty minutes. Serving it is always done piping hot. Lift the dried meat out and slice it. Return all the slices to the pot. Ladle it out into deep warm bowls. Serve fresh bread alongside it. It keeps four days refrigerated.

Technique

• Households slaughtered a pig in autumn and salted, smoked and hung the meat to last the winter, while cabbage was fermented in barrels in the same season; the two preserved foods meet in this pot, which is why it is a winter dish.
• In the Balkans whole cabbage heads are fermented intact, cored and packed in brine, and the leaves come out whole and pliable — the same leaves used for sarma; shredded kraut works but whole-head kraut is more traditional here.
• Both the sauerkraut and the dried meat are heavily salted, so rinse the kraut and taste it, soak very salty dried meat for an hour, and add no salt at all until the very end; long cooking also mellows the kraut from sharp and aggressive to savoury and rounded, which is the point of the three hours.

Substitutions

• Shredded barrel sauerkraut stands in for whole fermented heads.
• Quartered potatoes added after two hours thicken the pot slightly.

Variations

• A spoonful of flour stirred in near the end gives a thicker richer result.
• A dried chilli is added by some households and left out by others.
• Similar sauerkraut and smoked meat pots are made across the Balkans.

History

A northern Montenegrin winter pot combining barrel sauerkraut with the smoked meat cured after the autumn slaughter.

Frequently asked questions

What is Kupus sa suvim mesom?

Kupus sa suvim mesom is a soup & stew from Montenegro: sauerkraut slow-cooked with smoked ribs and dried meat. A northern Montenegrin winter pot combining barrel sauerkraut with the smoked meat cured after the autumn slaughter.

How long does Kupus sa suvim mesom take to make?

Kupus sa suvim mesom takes 30 minutes of preparation and 3 hours of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Kupus sa suvim mesom?

Yes, within limits. Shredded barrel sauerkraut stands in for whole fermented heads. Quartered potatoes added after two hours thicken the pot slightly.

What is the most important thing to get right in Kupus sa suvim mesom?

Rinse the sauerkraut and taste it. It should be sour but not harsh. Rinse it again if it is very salty. But do not wash all the sourness out. Take the sauerkraut out of its brine. Squeeze the liquid out of it by hand. Rinse it under cold running water.